Alex Dowsett has clarified his comments expressed in an earlier BBC report, suggesting that the remarks were taken out of context. In that initial exchange the Team Sky rider referred to Lance Armstrong as ‘a legend of the sport,’ despite the hundreds of pages of evidence released yesterday by USADA which painted a compelling picture of organised doping on the US Postal Service squad and other teams.
“I don't think it matters. He is still a legend of the sport. A guy who had cancer came back and won the Tour de France,” Dowsett told the BBC earlier. “I think it's not really important and I really don't think it matters.”
The British time trial champion has issued a message via Twitter and Facebook, saying that he wanted to clarify those sentiments.
“I just wanted to set the record straight as some things have not been clear in my comments reported in the press today,” he wrote. “When I was quoted saying Lance Armstrong is a legend, this was in regard to the charity work he has done. Also when I said it doesn't matter, what I mean is that we are racing clean now and it is a different sport to what it was back then.
“I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I was just about to start Stage 3 of the Tour of Beijing and I wasn't clear in my thoughts.
“I do think what Lance has done is completely unacceptable,” he said, referring to the doping charges against the Texan.
The UCI has acknowledged receipt of USADA’s reasoned decision and has 21 days to make a decision about whether or not it will appeal to CAS. It had previously suggested that it would only do so if the case against Armstrong seemed weak but, with over 1000 pages of evidence and sworn testimony from 26 individuals, USADA appears to have worked very hard to build a strong case.